


Crisis

by Rin_the_Shadow



Series: To Turn Spark [17]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy), Transformers: Armada
Genre: AU to Transformers: Armada, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Earth in crisis, Gen, Optimus is a good leader, Some canon compliance, canon character death, canon-typical fantasy violence, robot-human friendships, wise tyrant doing his thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 17:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18503917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_the_Shadow/pseuds/Rin_the_Shadow
Summary: There isn't much time left for the Autobots to stop the Hydra Cannon. In fact, there's no time left at all.Counterpart to the second half of the TV episode "Crisis."





	Crisis

The kids arrived earlier than usual that day. When Sideswipe had asked, Fred said it was because everyone was trying to figure out what was going on. “My dad at the research center was saying they think it might be caused by solar flares.”

“We also thought it might have been Decepticons,” Billy added.

“You would have been correct,” Red Alert answered. “In any event, it’s good that you’re here. Optimus wanted you out of harm’s way in case he and Jetfire don’t succeed in stopping the weapon.”

Alexis resisted the urge to point out that if it could blow up a comet, them being inside the base wasn’t going to do much good. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing she should bring up now, especially with everyone else clearly doing the best they could. And it wasn’t like her pointing it out would change anything.

Instead, she turned and went to look for—She paused. He wasn’t in the room with the others. Had something happened?

“Hey,” she called. “Where’s Starscream? Did he go on the mission with Optimus and Jetfire?”

The sudden tension from everyone in the room let her know she’d just said something wrong. Anxiety spiked through her, and she felt Rad rest a hand on her shoulder. Was it that bad? What was happening? “Guys, where’s Starscream? Did something happen?”

* * *

 

Aboard the _Hydra Cannon_ (the entire ship was effectively a mount for the weapon, so it seemed fitting that its name should reflect it) Megatron glowered at the report. If that showboating second-in-command of his had come up and tried to fire on them, there was no doubt Prime was aware of their presence. He had hoped the weapon would have already recharged by the time the Autobots had noticed. Surely a devastating weapon such as this would have _some_ secondary means of attack while indisposed, but it seemed whatever fool had designed it had counted on hitting their target with the first strike.

As had the designer of this ship. Not for the first time, Megatron found himself wondering _why_ in the world he had expected any kind of contingency plans from Thrust. And, for that matter, why he had ever thought Demolisher or any of them would point out the foolishness of such a design. Was it really so much to ask that the ship’s weapons system _not_ be overloaded by the Hydra Cannon?

But no matter. He would end this soon enough. “Demolisher, Thrust, report!” he barked.

“Yes, sir!” As usual, Demolisher was the first to respond. “You should have enough charge to fire a shot.”

Thrust immediately followed. “Aahh, but if you fire the Hydra Cannon now, the shot won’t have the same power that our first—”

“Optimus Prime is already aware of our position, _Thrust_. I am not asking you for excuses, I am asking you, _can we fire or not?_ ”

The tactician stammered, “Y-you have enough to achieve your objective, Lord Megatron.”

“Very well. Prepare to fire!” he ordered. “Wheeljack, disengage the electroshield.”

“Disengaging…” The former Autobot ground out.

Megatron knew that some of his men still found it disturbing to have someone from Prime’s fold, and he himself had questioned on several occasions whether he might be a spy. But no spy had ever played that long a game, not without some kind of error. Even Scavenger, for all his skill at deception, had not been with them as long as Wheeljack before he revealed himself.  Had Optimus Prime been the type to stage a false abandonment of one of his own, well, Megatron had no delusions about how much shorter the war would have been.

And for the time being, it wasn’t as though the warlord could afford to be selective with his troops. Though he certainly wouldn’t have _them_ knowing it.

“Thrust, begin the firing sequence!” Victory was within his grasp. And yet, there was something so dissatisfying about having it this way, with no direct battle. It was a coward’s victory, but he shook those thoughts aside. _Sentimental fool._ “Farewell, Optimus Prime. It looks like _I_ win.”

The words were scarcely out of his mouth when the ship lurched. Megatron snarled and gripped his armrest. “ _What now?_ ”

“S-s-s-sir! It’s Optimus!” Cyclonus shrieked, the warning mixed with his typical insane tittering.

“ _What?_ ”

“He must have slipped through when we disengaged the electroshield! He’ll go after the Hydra Cannon!” Thrust piped in.

Megatron stood. “Well, then, hurry and fire the shot!” The ship lurched again, followed by the scream of metal being pried.

“Aaahh, but that last attack has thrown off my calculations! I’ll need two minutes to recalibrate!”

Was there _any_ use in having this weapon? “Then, Thrust, _recalibrate it!_ The rest of you men, get out there and stop him from destroying my ship! If the Hydra Cannon falls, I will make _certain_ you fall with it!”

The order was hardly necessary. Demolisher and Tidal Wave were out before he had finished, with Wheeljack and Cyclonus close on their heels.

* * *

 

Outside, Jet Optimus bent plating and ripped out circuits. It was too much to hope they could get all of it before it fired, but if they could just disrupt it enough, it might weaken the beam. Then they would have options—they could intercept it with their own shot,

Suddenly, a spray of laser fire rained down on them, followed by Cyclonus’s crowing, “Let’s party!”

 _Yeesh, someone’s_ got _to shut that guy up_ , Optimus felt Jetfire’s thoughts within his own mind. “It’s time to split up!”

Jetfire surged forward. “I’ll distract these jokers while you recover the Mini-Cons!” He swooped and tangled with Cyclonus, swiftly ending the match with a shot to the base of his propellers and ignoring his babbling as he crashed into the ship.

“No, Jetfire!” Optimus called as they weaved through the barrage. “You’re the faster of us! I’ll cover you while _you_ take care of the Mini-Cons!”

“Right!” Jetfire twisted mid-flight, transforming into his shuttle mode as he fired a charged blast which sent Demolisher hurtling into the still-grounded Cyclonus.

Even as he dodged Tidal Wave’s fire, Optimus knew he was outmatched. The warship could take on a full ground team and still walk away unscathed, and besides that—

A beam screamed past his head as he dodged just in time. _Where had that come from?_

“Watch out, Optimus!” Jetfire comm’ed him. “Wheeljack’s hiding out!”

“Is that so?” The Autobot leader rolled out of the way of the second blast, clasping his hands as energy built in his digits. It was risky, Tidal Wave’s spray of weaponry could easily hit him, but he thrust his hands forward and hurled the energy beam in the direction he’d seen the last shot.

The former Autobot dodged it, but there was a crash as one of the turrets on the ship exploded. That was strange, Optimus thought. He could see there were other weapons, so why hadn’t they fired? Didn’t they function?

Pain exploded at his back and he cried out. Tidal Wave! How had he let him get behind him?

“Megatron’s orders: Destroy Optimus Prime,” he rumbled.

Before Optimus could recover, he found himself pinned under the warship’s spray of lasers and energon bullets. _Well, isn’t that just prime?_ he thought, even as his mind grew foggy from pain.

He was dimly aware of his second’s call, and then a shot connected with Tidal Wave’s head. The warship staggered back, groaning and snarling, a servo pressed to a smoking optic.

“Optimus! I’m tagging in!” Jetfire shot past him before he could object.

“Very well,” he agreed, sprinting for the twisted prow. Jetfire’s speed and strength was why he’d wanted him dismantling the ship, but he was certainly capable of doing it himself.

* * *

 

“ _Thrust!_ ” His men were losing, and to make matters worse, the Autobots were actually succeeding in reaching the Hydra Cannon.

“It’s almost ready, sir!” His tactician seemed to feel the stress as if it were static in the air. “I’m just boosting the energy level to make up for—!”

Did he have to do _everything_ himself? Megatron stood and stormed towards the exit hatch. “Fire the Hydra Cannon! I’ll deal with this pest!”

* * *

 

Optimus was already exhausted from the strain of Tidal Wave’s attack. Had the recent events really made him so fragile? But he wasn’t too beaten to notice the electricity crackling just below the ship’s plating. “If I recharge off the energy shield,” he said, thinking aloud, “I can rescue the Mini-Cons and—”

Another shot exploded at his back. “Freeloading, Prime? I would’ve expected better of you!” Megatron crowed.

Optimus growled, “Megatron.” He did _not_ have time for this right now. But then again, when had Megatron _ever_ respected that?

As if on cue, the warlord called out, “Full Blast Mode!” and his insides shifted to transform himself into what amounted to a walking machine gun.

“Very well, Megatron, if you insist!” Optimus grunted as shots connected, weaving through them to meet his opponent.

Jetfire saw what was happening and raced to aid him, only to be caught by the other Decepticons, now recovered from his earlier attack. Optimus had just enough time to see his second catch Cyclonus and swing him into Demolisher with a snarl of, “Just slagging _stay down!_ ” before he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. Optimus reached Megatron and swung.

But Megatron had every advantage here, and he caught Optimus’s fist before he had even shifted from his Full Blast mode, twisting it around with a bemused smirk. “Really, Prime? Is that the best you can do?” He hurled him down the ledge, watching him tumble and skid to a stop at the edge of the prow. “Why, I don’t even need the Hydra Cannon to destroy you. You’re as pathetic as—!”

Suddenly, he stopped, pausing as if listening to a comm. Then his smirk deepened into a sinister sneer as he advanced. “Yes… Well, Prime, it appears you’re in luck. I had planned to use the Hydra Cannon to destroy _you_! But instead, I’ll let you watch as your precious planet Earth is blown to bits!” He stood and regarded him, watching his threat sink in.

As Optimus struggled to stand, Megatron’s hand latched onto his helm, forcing him to turn towards Earth even as he fought against it.

“I wonder, Prime, if your men will suffer before they are destroyed. But I suppose you can find out for yourself once it’s your turn!” He laughed. “Fire the cannon, Thrust!”

“No,” Optimus growled. “I won’t let you. I won’t let you do this!” Using the one weapon left at his disposal, he twisted in Megatron’s grip, channeling the power of the Matrix and turning the blast on him before he could react.

Megatron staggered back, his chest plates smoking, and Optimus darted out. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but time was running out, and he had no other choice. The Matrix burned within him as he called on all of its power and threw himself directly in front of the cannon’s muzzle. His team had been right. This _was_ suicide. But at this point, there were no other options left.

The shot connected and he screamed.

* * *

 

“This is Kelly Bongartner reporting live from downtown, and I’ve just spotted…”

“Alexis, are you sure you don’t want to turn that off?” Rad peered over her shoulder at her laptop screen, where she was streaming the audio from the news report.

“Yeah, it’s not like it’s gonna tell us anything we don’t already know.” If Starscream didn’t know better, he would have thought he heard panic in the other boy’s—Carlos’s?—voice.

As much as he hated to admit it, he had to agree. There wasn’t anything else they could do at this point. It didn’t even seem to be helping Alexis, as she tapped the sides of the keyboard and chewed at her lip.

The Autobots cried out as the shot came into view. Red Alert barked out a reading, Hot Shot protested that they had to do _something_ , even if he didn’t know what. The other two boys yelped something out.

Why had he thought it was a good idea to come out of his room? He glanced at the Mini-Cons, crowded around Alexis and the others. There were too many of them. He’d never be able to evacuate them all. Just what had Optimus been thinking?

“Starscream!” Red Alert’s voice jolted him from his thoughts. “Get the kids to the warp chamber, now!”

“It’s not going to do any good! I can’t fly fast enough to escape this atmosphere before—!”

The look on Red Alert’s face told him just how much he’d known that already. Only Scavenger remained unmoved, and frankly, that only made everything worse. “Just hold on a bit longer,” he whispered, optics fixed on the central screen. “Just hold on…”

* * *

 

Somehow, the blast hadn’t disintegrated him on contact. But Optimus could feel it pushing him back, trying to send him into the Earth as a piece of its destruction. He could feel his circuits sparking and frying, but he pressed on.

“Primus, give me just a little more…” He didn’t know if he’d spoken aloud or not. He could no longer hear anything but the scream of energy—both from the weapon and from his own Matrix of Leadership.

His paint was searing off and his plating cracked—no, it was deeper than the plating. Pieces of his armor snapped off and crumbled away, exposing interior wires to the beam. But he continued to fight it, finally feeling his own power pushing back into the Hydra Cannon.

The heat was unbearable the closer he got to the muzzle, and he could feel the ache in his vocalizer from where he must have still been screaming. The feeling in his hands was starting to fade, and pixels of blackness flickered at the edges of his vision.

As he forced the beam back up the muzzle it had come from, he was dimly aware of a new electricity crackling. The force must have overloaded the electroshielding.

The Matrix burned just a little brighter inside of him, one last burst of energy, and he felt the Mini-Cons inside the Hydra Cannon separating, sparks of relief and terror radiating from them. His mouth worked to give them reassurance, but no sound came out.

Then all at once, the pressure snapped, splintering into a million specks of light. _Ah_ , he thought. _So it’s done then_.

But before he could rest on that, a memory came unbidden to his processor. “Of all those Transformers, don’t forget to look out for the one called Optimus.”

_I’m sorry, old friend…_

* * *

 

Alexis screwed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around her head, trying to block out the light. She could hear the others close around her, and the gasps from the Autobots at whatever they had seen.

When she unfolded from her position, the first thing she saw was red and white crouched over them, looking as shocked as any of them to be alive. He surveyed them, the silent question plain as anything. Rad and Carlos uncurled from beside her.

“W-we’re okay?” It was Carlos who spoke first.

Starscream turned back to the other Autobots, and Alexis followed his gaze to the screens.

Rad was the first to see it. “Optimus?”

“He’s okay?” Hot Shot’s voice cracked.

Fred beamed. “I knew he’d come through in the end!”

But something wasn’t right. Red Alert and Scavenger didn’t look relieved.

Hoist exhaled loudly. “Well, when Optimus and Jetfire Powerlink, there’s nothing that can defeat them, right?”

“That’s not Jet Optimus…” Red Alert spoke, almost too quietly for anyone to hear.

It was then that Alexis realized what they were looking at. The white shape on the screen…that was what was left of Optimus Prime.

“No…” she heard herself whispering, not recognizing her own voice. “No…no…”

Rad rested a hand on her shoulder in that familiar, reassuring gesture. Only this time, it didn’t work. There was no missing the tension inside it.

“He’s…he’s okay, right?” Fred’s voice told them he already knew the answer.

Seconds later, the white Optimus crumbled into dust. If the scream came from her friends, she couldn't recognize it.

* * *

 

It was strange. Of all the ways he had imagined the conflict ending between himself and Optimus Prime, he had never dreamed it would be like this. He had seen him disintegrate into space dust and crumble away in a solar wind. And yet, it could not be.

He rushed to the edge of the ship, scanning for any signs of life and hardly feeling his own pedes hit the ground. It could not be.

The Autobot his men had captured tore free of the group. No one made any attempt to stop him. There was no reason to, not anymore.

He would signal for a retreat. It was the only option left, now. The scans all came back negative. It could not be.

Even before the sound ripped from his throat, he knew there would be no answer. “ _OPTIMUS!!”_  

* * *

 

Jetfire continued to circle the planet, not knowing or caring where the Decepticons were. This was exactly the kind of thing he’d wanted to avoid. How could he have let this happen?

There _had_ to be enough of Optimus to rebuild. Even just the spark would be enough, if he could get it to Red Alert in time. And yet with each negative sweep, he despaired.

But then, something registered on the edge of his vision. A spark? He rocketed towards it, careful not to damage it in any way.

As he neared the object, he was able to make out the tiny, yellow form of Sparkplug, curled around the Matrix of Leadership and beeping in a way he knew was whimpering.

“No…” he heard his own voice crack. All that was left was the Matrix.

And yet somehow, he had found the strength to protect his tiny partner.

“I’ll never forget you, sir…” Almost numbly, he reached towards Sparkplug, who curled even tighter around it. “It’s okay, little guy…” he whispered, cradling the Mini-Con to his chestplates. “I’ve got you…It’s okay…It's okay...”

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was always one of the real episodes that stuck out to me the most when I watched the show, especially Optimus Prime's sacrifice. I hope that I have done it justice.
> 
> In any event, I'm happy to hear what you think!  
> ~Rin


End file.
